‘Unfortunate and unacceptable’: Congress distances itself from Sam Pitroda’s ‘racist’ slur

NEW DELHI: Congress on Wednesday distanced itself from the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda’s ‘racist’ remarks about how people in the South “look like Africans and those in the west look like Arabs and those in the East look like Chinese.”

In a post on X, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The analogies drawn by Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India’s diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.”

The analogies drawn by Mr. Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 8, 2024

Pitroda has stirred controversy after remarking that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans.

Pitroda, in an interview with a media house, while reflecting upon the democracy in India said, “We have survived 75 years in a very happy environment where people could live together, leaving aside few fights here and there. We could hold a country together as diverse as India, where people in the East look like Chinese, people in the West look like Arab, people in the North look like white and maybe people in the South look like Africans”.

He further added that the people of India respect different languages, religions, food and customs which vary from region to region. “That’s the India that I believe in, where everybody has a place and everybody compromises a little bit”, he said.

Earlier today, reacting to Pitroda’s controversial remarks, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X, “Sam bhai, I am from the Northeast and I look like an Indian. We are a diverse country – we may look different, but we are all one. Hamare desh ke bare mein thoda to samajh lo!.”

Last month, Pitroda had stoked a controversy while speaking about the concept of inheritance tax prevailing in America and said these are issues that will need to be discussed.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has 100 million USD worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer 45 per cent to his children, 55 per cent is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair,” Pitroda had said.

After the comments snowballed into a controversy Pitroda sought to downplay the issue saying he had only cited inheritance tax in the US as an example.

“Who said 55 per cent will be taken away? Who said something like this should be done in India? Why are BJP and the media in panic? I mentioned US inheritance tax in the US only as an example in my normal conversation on TV. Can I not mention facts? I said these are the kinds of issues people will have to discuss and debate. This has nothing to do with the policy of any party including Congress,” Pitroda said in his post on X. (ANI)